Endless Paradox
by Twitch-Lawliet
Summary: Set 20 years after the Arrancar War. Original Characters, with appearances from Bleach characters that become more frequent as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I do not own Bleach, or any of the characters there in. I do however, own any and all of the original charcters.

This fanfiction is set 20 years after the Arrancar War.

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With a thunderous crash and the shrieking sound of bending metal the car collided with the barrier, it was over in less than a second. Ben coughed as he opened his eyes. He tested his limbs tentatively; testing for injury. Everything seemed to be working, other than a slight tightness in his chest. He crawled out the car, careful not to cut himself on the remaining fragments of the windshield. He rolled awkwardly down the front of the car and stood up.

People were starting to crowd round, shouting and peering into the wreckage of the Fiat Punto. It was few minutes before he started to wonder why no one was coming over to see if he was alright. The ambulance had already arrived by then. The question was expelled from his mind as he saw his friend, Lii, being cut out of the car. He ran over as they were pushing him in the back of ambulance.

"Is he alright?" Ben voice wavered, fearing the answer.

"He's pretty far gone; we need to get him to a hospital, now!" Ben frowned, while the paramedic had answered the question, it had been directed at the driver, and it had sounded like a command. Ben forced in a breath and patted his pockets looking for his inhaler. He cursed under his breath; he must have left it at home. Thinking of home he patted his pockets again, this time looking for his mobile. Not there, in fact all his pockets were empty. He turned to go back to the car, to see if anything had fallen out during the crash. He climbed on to the bonnet of the car.

Ben fell backwards off the bonnet, landing painfully on his behind. His eyes open wide with shock, unable to take in what he'd seen in the car. Sitting in the passenger seat was a body, it's chest pierced by a piece of the steel barrier. Ben wretched. He had just looked directly into the cold, lifeless eyes of his own corpse.

Frantically he pulled at the zip of his jacket, almost tearing it off. There was no blood. The only sign that there was something odd about his "body", whatever it was he was occupying, was a metal cylinder that protruded from his chest. However it looked more natural than the mangled steel stuck in the corpse, like it was a part of his body. Hanging from the cylinder was a chain, the last link was broken.

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Ben walked the streets of Sunderland in a daze, not really noticing where his feet were carrying him. His head was full of half formed thoughts, but whenever he tried to follow their pattern they vanished, leaving his mind perfectly blank. He found that he couldn't remember much of anything from before the crash. He stumbled on the curb as he crossed a road, looking around to get his bearings. The area was familiar; he was close to friend's house. As he rounded the corner he saw the rubble where a house had once been. Staring at the ruins he remembered, about a year ago there had been a gas explosion, bringing the roof down, killing his friend and everyone else in the house.

An ear splitting noise echoed through the street, filling Ben with a cold fear, it sounded like a roar. The ground shook behind him as though something heavy had just landed on the ground. He fought every instinct to just run away, and forced his legs to turn around, facing the source of the noise.

The second thing he noticed about the creature was the mask, pure white, in the shape of a rabbit, albeit one twisted by an impossibly dark force. This was followed by the realisation it's body was easily the size of a house, it's balled fists larger than a garage door. The last thing he noticed was the same as the first, it's eyes. All black, but for a bright yellow iris, they spoke to him of a vicious, cold hunger that sent a chill to his very bones.

The mouth of the mask creaked open slowly, and Ben heard it taking a long laborious breath. It let out a terrifying scream, one that made Ben's knees feel weak; his mind was filled with it, pushing out even his own thoughts. As it died away the single most powerful thought he had ever experienced jumped into his mind, one that was more instinct that conscious thought. _RUN!_

The spell was broken, and before he knew it Ben was half way down the street. He could hear the monster; that was the only way he could think to classify it, making chase and gradually gaining speed. He stumbled on the curb. He lost his balance and found himself falling over. He raised his head in time to see it lunge for him. It was going to bite him clean in two.

The blade hit the teeth of the monster, holding it's jaw open, stopping it dead. The man standing between Ben and the thing was wearing tattered black robes. Slick back, dark grey hair reached down to the back of his neck. He pushed the monster back using only one hand. He pulled the sword in close. The under-hand swing cleaved the beast in two. Ben watched in awe as the creature dissolved into nothingness. Then his attention was drawn to his rescuer as a faint but noticeable deep red glow appeared around him for a fraction of a second.

"W-who are you?" The figure turned to face him. Ben's blood ran cold. The face was pale, almost as white as the purest snow. His eyes were deep red, and made him think of dried blood. Other than the red irises the eyes were completely black. The stranger's face was suddenly right in front of his own. Eye to eye, Ben found himself completely unable to think more than a few words at a time; this dread was on a whole different level to the paltry scare the creature had given him. The being inhaled deeply through his nose, Ben found it hard to believe he was sniffing him. He backed off a bit and chuckled to himself. His grip on the sword tightened. The hilt of the weapon hit Ben painfully on the forehead. Even as everything went white, he still couldn't drag himself away from the man eyes, darker than the spawn of Hell.

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Author's Note: Well there it is, the first chapter, I hope you like it. Please read and review, let me know what you liked and where you thought I could improve.

Twitch


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do own the characters in this chapter! Woot! Anyway, other than that I own nothing in the Bleach universe.

Hey, second chapter. It's been done for a while, but I just got Bleach: Shattered Blade, and it's taking up a lot of my time.

Anyway it's here now, enjoy!

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When Ben woke, it was to the warmth of a comfy bed. His first thought was that he had been dreaming. He sat up slowly, and raised his hand to his forehead and rolled his neck, trying to clear the fog from his mind.

"…more like a nightmare…" Muttering to himself didn't help.

"Oh, so you're awake are you?" said an elderly woman coming into the room.

"Ah!" Ben almost jumped out of the bed, stopping himself just in time as he realised he wasn't wearing any clothes.

"Oh!" The woman gave a start, dropping the tray she was carrying. The plastic mug on the tray spilled it's contents all over the floor. "Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack, flashing an old lady…what kind of man are you?" She shook her head disapprovingly, using an "in my day" tone of voice.

"Is this your house?" Ben looked around warily, realising that the room wasn't familiar. The old lady nodded.

"You appeared in the street, so I brought you inside."

"And put me in your bed with no clothes on? What kind of old lady are you?"

"You were like that when I found you." She said snappishly, then her expression be came a leer "I couldn't just leave a naked young man like yourself in the street; the house is much more private."

"What the hell do you mean private?" Ben quickly pulled the covers up to his neck.

"Relax," the old lady laughed. "I'm only teasing you." There was a pause, it lasted half a minute, and then Ben asked the question that was nagging away at the back of his mind.

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"I'm afraid so." Her voice was far too cheerful, as she sat down in a chair that was beside the bed. "I'm Mrs Ogg, but everyone 'round here just calls me Granny. This place is the 10th district of Rukongai, of Soul Society." She met Ben's blank stare with one of her own, as though that answered everything. "Tell me, can you remember how you died?"

"I don't kn-" suddenly a memory flashed across his mind, the car hitting the barrier, and the instant of pain as the shrapnel pierced his chest, crushing his torso. His mind reeled as he felt an overpowering urge to throw up. When he spoke the words came out completely toneless. "It was a car crash."

"I see," the old lady looked at Ben with a curious expression. "Can you remember anything from before the accident?" Ben paused and though for a moment, his expression becoming gradually more frustrated, before shaking his head. "Don't worry about it," this time she seemed genuinely sympathetic. "It usually takes more than a week for people to even remember how they died. That what Soul Society is…a place where you can start fresh, and forget the mistakes you made in life…" An awkward silence fell over the room, as Mrs. Ogg stared into the distance, obviously lost in thought. Ben noticed what looked like clothes on the arm of the chair next to the bed. Glad of an excuse to break the silence he pointed at them.

"Are those for me?" Mrs. Ogg blinked, as though coming out of a trance and looked over to where he was pointing.

"Oh, yes. They're not much, not like the clothes they have in the living world, but it's the best we have in Rukongai."

"Thanks," Ben looked down at the covers, remembered that he was naked and looked up at Mrs. Ogg. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." A strikingly warm smile spread across the old lady's face, as she sat there, not making a move. Ben waited for her to leave the room, when she didn't he eyed suspiciously.

"I meant; do you mind waiting outside the room while I put them on." The annoyed tone to his voice was obvious. The warm smile disappeared from her face leaving a look of resignation.

"Well, there's only one room to this small house, but if you are willing to make a frail old woman stand outside in the cold, just to protect your own decency then," she let out a long tired sigh as she rose from the chair slowly, making a show of her creaking joints, "I'll just take these old bone into the freezing air of-" At that moment there was a knock on the door.

"Granny, are you in there?" The voice was female, low and soft in tone, like honey dripping into the ear. Mrs. Ogg sat back down into the chair.

"Yes, Ayumi. What is it?" Ben though he could see an annoyed frown flash across the old lady's face.

"I brought the extra mattress you asked for, but I'll need a hand getting it through to the spare room, tell the newcomer that he has to earn his keep if he wants to stay here and that I'll wait for him in the kitchen." There was long pause as Ben slowly looked from the door to Mrs. Ogg; the leer was back, this time with a disappointed hint to it.

"A kitchen?" Ben raised an eyebrow, his anger rising with it.

"Drat." She got out of the chair, much quicker and with a lot more grace than she had a minute previously. "I almost had you there too. Well you heard her, get dressed and help her sort your bed out. That is assuming you'd rather sleep here than out on the streets." She grinned devilishly as she opened the door and left. Ben stared at the door, seriously wondering if the streets were really as cold as the old bat had claimed.

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Author's Note: This is my first attempt at Bleach-esque humour, so I'm not entirly sure I managed to pull it off. Hoped you liked it, leave a review to let me know what you thought, or how I could improve, thanks. Till next time.

Twitch


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, it's been a while since my last update. I'v been busy with exams and stuff, but they're done now, so I'll have more time to write, hopfully.

Chapter 3 is here, and it introduces the first actual character from the Bleach series.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters contained in the Bleach universe, I do however, own any original characters.

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Ben got out of the bed, walked over to the chair and picked up the clothes. The trousers were a dark blue-y grey and slightly tattered around the ankles. He assumed the clothes were second hand, even the wooden sandals looked old. The shirt had short sleeves and was the same colour as the trousers. It had, however, a pink flower emblazoned on the left breast, extending over on to the sleeve. Ben hesitated when he saw this but, considering that the alternative was wandering around bare-chested in this old lady's house, it was only a second's hesitation. Once he was dressed he opened the door, which led into a hallway. The walls were made of the same kind of wood as that in the bedroom. He walk along the passage until he came to a door that was open, inside was a room filled with wooden surfaces that covered all the edges of the room bar one, this one side of the room contained an old iron coal fire with a metal grate over it. This was, he guessed, the kitchen. As he entered the room he noticed a woman leaning against one of the counters. She had green, shoulder length hair, and was wearing dull red versions of the clothes he had just put on.

"Hey," she held out her hand when she saw him, "I'm Ayumi."

"I'm Ben," he shook her hand and could help but notice her large brown eyes.

"Come on, the mattress is outside, help me carry it in." He followed into the passage and through another door, which led out onto a street. The houses all looked pretty much the same; old style eastern wooden houses, they were all the same sizes too.

"So," Ayumi stood beside a moth eaten old mattress that still had a comfortable look to it. "Do the clothes fit ok?"

"I guess, I'm not too sure about the logo on the shirt though," he pointed to the flower, "it looks like something a four year old would wear." The long pause that followed this statement let Ben know he'd said something stupid. It was now that he realised the Ayumi was had the same slim build and was about the same height as he was. "…these…were your clothes weren't they?" He tried to put as much apology into the tone of his voice as he could. He heard knuckles crack as he saw her clench her fists.

"Yup."

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Ben rubbed the bruise on the back of his head as they stood in what was now his room. It wasn't much, just enough space for the bed they had set up, and a nightstand. He looked over at Ayumi nervously, she hadn't said anything since she'd hit him on the back of the head. He decided to break the silence himself, besides; he'd wanted to ask this for a while.

"This might sound like a stupid question but; where exactly are we?"

"Didn't Granny explain that to you?" she looked like she did think it was a stupid question.

"Well, she said something about Soul Society and Rukongai…but…" he looked at her helplessly; he really hadn't followed any of what the old woman had told him. Ayumi looked at him consolingly, she knew how he felt, and after all she'd been through the same thing, pretty much everyone in Soul Society had.

"Soul Society, I guess you could say that it's the afterlife." She went to explain that Soul Society was separated from the world of the living by almost completely impassable barriers, and that Rukongai was the area of Soul Society where the souls of those who had died now lived. There had been a little confusion at this point, as Ben had asked whether they were alive here. She said that she wasn't sure, but that she thought that they were, as she'd been told that when people here die they returned to the world of the living as a new born baby. She went on to explain that Rukongai was divided into east, west, north and south, and that those four sections were again divided into numbered regions, from 1-80, radiating from the centre.

"At the centre of Rukongai is the Seireitei, the Court of Pure Souls. That's where the Shinigami live." At the word Shinigami he voice became filled with respect and awe. "The Shinigami are the guardians of Soul Society, they protect this world and the world of the living from the Hollows. The Hollows are a bunch of monsters that prey on the souls of the dead and living." Ben swallowed nervously, he knew now that thing that attacked him must have been a Hollow, but then he wondered about the one who had killed it. If that was a Shinigami, then he hoped he'd never have to meet one again; at least not that one.

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The ghost ran down the street as fast as he could, the massive thing that had chased him from the hospital was gaining on his with every second that passed. He had no doubt that he was dead, seeing his own body still lying in the hospital bed, even after he got up had convinced him of that. He also knew, in the same way that a cat sub consciously knows not to go near the neighbour's Rottweiler, that if this monster caught him he would be much worse off than he was now. He ran out into the road and saw a car heading towards him. Instinctively he dived to get out of the way, as he hit the ground he realised that it was a stupid move, the worst the car would have done would be pass through him, as the people on the pavement had done, but now the monster was standing over him, and he didn't want to know what the worst thing it could do was.

As it brought it's fist down towards him a blue arrow severed it's hand from it's arm, causing the blow to miss and the monster recoiled in pain. The ghost looked up to see where the shot had come from. Standing there was man dressed in white and blue trench coat and trousers. Sprouting from his left hand was a bow of blue light, which looked somewhat like a spider web. The thing lunged for the man, but suddenly he wasn't standing there anymore. He was in the air, right next to the creature's white mask. He drew the string back on the bow, and an arrow of the same blue light as the bow appeared. It flew straight through the mask and into the air. The man landed in front of the ghost as the monster disintegrated into nothing. Now that he could see the man's face he saw it was framed by shoulder length black hair, and was wearing square rimmed glasses. He turned and offered his right hand to help the spirit up, at the same time the bow in his left disappeared.

"My name is Ishida Uryuu, come on, get up, there might be another one around here and I just reached my quota." The spirit took his hand and stood up, staring at the man in spite of himself. Ishida noticed this and pushed his glasses up his nose with the middle finger of this right hand in discomfort. "We'll have to get back to soul society as fast as possible." He pulled out a glass cylinder from his belt and pulled out the stopper, a blue glow emanated from it. The ghost watched as the man muttered some 

words under his breath and then threw the vial onto the ground smashing it. Without warning wooden Japanese style sliding doors appeared where the vial had fallen. They slide open, revealing nothing but white light. Ishida made a move to walk through the door, but then turned again to face the dumbfounded spirit.

"Come on, unless you want to be chased by another one of those things?" The ghost shook his head and followed the man in white through the doors. They slid shut behind him as the light engulfed his body.

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A lot of soul society background in this chapter, stuff you probably already know from the manga and anime, but it had to be in there so that the characters know what's going on.

Still not all bad, Ishida made his entrance.

Please leave a review and tell me what you liked and what you thought could be improved.

Twitch


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